By planning ahead and taking advantage of these time-proven tax strategies before year-end, you may be able to lessen your tax bite come April 15.

With the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, many Americans are facing higher tax rates, making tax planning more important than ever. And there’s no better time for tax planning than before year-end. That’s because there are a number of tax-smart strategies you can implement now that will reduce your tax bill come April 15. Consider how the following strategies might help to lower your tax bill for 2014.

PUT LOSSES TO WORK

If you expect to realize either short- or long-term capital gains, the IRS allows you to offset these gains with capital losses. Short-term gains (gains on assets held one year or less) are taxed at ordinary rates, which range from 10% to 39.6%, and can be offset with short-term losses. Long-term gains (gains on assets held longer than a year) are taxed at a top rate of 20% and can be reduced by long-term capital losses.1 To the extent that losses exceed gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 in capital losses against ordinary income on that year's tax return and carry forward any unused losses for future years.

Given these rules, there are several actions you might consider:

Avoid short-term gains when possible, as these are taxed at higher ordinary rates. Unless you have short-term losses to offset them, try holding the assets for at least one year.

Take a good look at your portfolio before year-end and estimate your gains and losses. Some investments, such as mutual funds, incur trading gains or losses that are reported on Form 1099 and must be reported on your tax return. These are difficult to predict because they depend upon the fund's trading activity during the year and are not known until after year-end. But most capital gains and losses will be triggered by the sale of the asset, which you usually control. Are there some winners that have enjoyed a run and are ripe for selling? Are there losers you would be better off liquidating? The important point is to cover as much of the gains with losses as you can, thereby minimizing your capital gains tax.

Remember that unused losses may be carried forward for use in future years, while gains must be taken in the year they are realized.

When evaluating whether or not to sell a given investment, keep in mind that a healthy unrealized gain does not necessarily mean an investment is ripe for selling. Remember that past performance is no indication of future results; it is expectations for future performance that count. Moreover, taxes should only be one consideration in any decision to sell or hold an investment.

UNEARNED INCOME TAX – MEDICARE TAX

A new 3.8% tax on “unearned” income went into effect in 2013, effectively increasing the top rate on most long-term capital gains to 23.8%. The tax applies to “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, royalties, annuities, rents and other passive activity income, among other items. Importantly, “net investment income” does not include distributions from IRAs or qualified retirement plans, annuity payouts or income from tax-exempt municipal bonds. In general, the new tax applies to single taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $200,000 or more and to those who are married and filing jointly with a MAGI of $250,000 or more.

IRAS: CONTRIBUTE, DISTRIBUTE OR CONVERT

One simple way of reducing your taxes is to make tax-deductible contributions to a traditional IRA, if you are eligible.

Contributions are made on a pretax basis, so they reduce your taxable income. Contribution limits for the 2014 tax year—which may be made until April 15, 2015— are $5,500 per individual and $6,500 for those aged 50 or older. Note that deductibility phases out above certain income levels, depending upon your filing status and if you or your spouse are covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

An important year-end consideration for older IRA holders is whether or not they have taken required minimum distributions. The IRS requires account holders aged 70½ or older to withdraw specified amounts from their traditional IRA each year. These amounts vary depending on your age, increasing as you grow older. If you have not taken the required distributions in a given year, the IRS can impose a 50% tax on the shortfall; so make sure to take the requirement minimum distribution for the year by year-end.

Another consideration for traditional IRA holders is whether to convert to a Roth IRA. If you expect your tax rate to increase in the future—either because of rising earnings or a change in tax laws—converting to a Roth may make sense, especially if you are still a ways from retirement. You will have to pay taxes on any pretax contributions and earnings in your traditional IRA for the year you convert, but withdrawals from a Roth IRA are tax free and penalty free as long as you're at least 59½ and the converted account has been open at least five years. If you have a nondeductible traditional IRA (i.e., your contributions did not qualify for a tax deduction because your income was not within the parameters established by the IRS), investment earnings will be taxed but the amount of your contributions will not. The conversion will not trigger the 10% penalty for early withdrawals.

Let me work with you and your tax advisor to see what you can do now to reduce your tax bill in April.

The author(s) are not employees of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ("Morgan Stanley"). The opinions expressed by the authors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and data in the article or publication has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation by Morgan Stanley with respect to the purchase or sale of any security, investment, strategy or product that may be mentioned.

Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice and are not “fiduciaries” (under the Internal Revenue Code or otherwise) with respect to the services or activities described herein except as otherwise agreed to in writing by Morgan Stanley. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors regarding any potential tax and related consequences of any investments made under such account.

The FA may only transact business in states where he/she is registered or excluded or exempted from registration [FINRA Broker Check http://brokercheck.finra.org/Search/Search.aspx]. Transacting business, follow-up and individualized responses involving either effecting or attempting to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, will not be made to persons in states where the FA is not registered or excluded or exempt from registration.

The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.

This information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.

Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link: http://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mssbemail.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.

*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer's particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

The securities/instruments, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be suitable for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or investment strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. The views and opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley.